This grew out of my Down Da Road I Go Blog which now has become primarily what I'm doing and music.
I was getting so much history in it, I spun this one off and now have World War II and War of 1812 blogs which came off this one.
The Blog List below right has all the way too many blogs that I write.

Friday, April 28, 2017

As the Chicago Cubs fans streamed back to Wrigley Field earlier this month, they met with the veritable sticker shock at ticket prices, especially for those prized seats out in the bleachers.

CUBS BLEACHER TICKET PRICES OVER TIME

"The price to be a bleacher bum was only a few bucks a game through the 1980s. Prices, as well as amenities and options, have skyrocketed with the renovation of Wrigley Field and team's success.

"Since 1922, bleacher tickets have varied from a mere flat rate depending on game time, opponent, seat location and other factors. Cub historian Ed Hartig provided the prices for notable years of Cubs history."

Thursday, April 27, 2017

From the December 28, 2016, MidWeek (Dekalb County, Ill) "Looking Back."

Well, actually the school's name back then was Northern Illinois Normal School.

1916, 100 Years Ago.

"For some time past there has been a complaint from the Normal school officials that someone has been attempting to peek into the windows of the dormitory. The action in the past of those guilty has caused the girls at Williston Hall no end of worry, and police have been working on the matter for some days past, and now have the offending where they can be reached in a few moments.

"One of the young men is about 22 years old, is old enough to know better, and should be at work more profitable to him than that of climbing onto window sills and peaking into windows."

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

The Liberty Memorial tower and World War I museum in Kansas City is all well and done. However, it is time to press ahead with what our last surviving serviceman of the war, Frank Buckles, wanted done before his death.

And, that would be to erect a monument to our World War I veterans on the National Mall in Washington, D.C..

Monday, April 24, 2017

From the January 18, 2017, MidWeek (DeKalb County, Illinois) "Looking Back."

1917, 100 Years Ago.

"Mrs. Matilda Ambrosia, living on South Forth Street, told an interesting story to the Chronicle reporter yesterday. It seems that in the early days Mrs. Ambrosia was an army nurse during the early Indian trouble and lived in Minnesota.

"She recalled vividly scenes of her early life when she came into contact with Buffalo Bill, William F. Cody, and that world renowned personage protected her on many occasions."

Friday, April 21, 2017

Isabell Meggett Lucas, 86, had not been in the tiny house she was born in, a former slave cabin where her ancestors lived in South Carolina. Today, that tiny two-room house will be viewed by millions inside the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The cabin was used during slavery at the Point of Pines Plantation on Edisto Island, S.C..

The new museum has been open for just over six months. Officials scoured the South looking for former slave quarters for years before finally choosing this one.

It is believed to be one of the oldest preserved slave cabins in the United States. The oral history of the cabin is being collected as well.

Thursday, April 20, 2017

"Keen disappointment is felt by every member of the Chamber of Commerce over the note received by Secretary John Wood yesterday from Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, stating that he would be unable to speak to the Chamber of Commerce at their meeting on April 15th."

I came across this excellent look back into history put out by the Roanoke Times. I also follow one in the weekly MidWeek for DeKalb County, Illinois. During the course of the World War I (or do you say First World War, I?") I will be writing what these two publications say about the war.

All dates are 1917, 100 years ago.

" Roanoke is being besieged by recruiting offers and officers from all branches of Uncle Sam's fighting forces, and through their efforts many are answering the call to the colors."

This was just under a month before the official U.S. Declaration of War against Germany.

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

"Celebrating the return of Company F, Second Virginia Infantry, which was ordered to report to the Mexican border last summer, ... hundreds of patriotic citizens of Roanoke assembled at the City Auditorium last night to give the soldiers one of the most loyal receptions in the annals of the city."

From the November 23, 2016, MidWeek (DeKalb County, Illinois) "Looking Back."

1966, 50 Years Ago.

"A well-kept pre-election 'secret' can now be told. Last August, Northern Illinois University's governing body approved the name Adlai E. Stevenson Towers for their new residence hall going up on NIU's West Campus.

"However, because the late Mr. Stevenson's son, Adlai E. Stevenson III, was a candidate for Illinois State Treasurer, the Board of Governors of State Colleges and Universities, in its impartial wisdom, requested that the announcement of the naming be delayed until after the November election."

"The cost of hospital care is expected to soar to at least $57.93 a day per patient by September. The American Hospital Association, which compiles cost records, disclosed that hospital expenses are increasing faster than previously reported."

When the monument was completed five years later, more than 150,000 attended to hear President Calvin Coolidge dedicate it. (Again, one has to wonder why our current president was not there last week).

The museum's CEO, Matt Naylor, said' "For the past 91 years, people from across the globe have come to learn and remember."

Missouri Governor Eric Greitens lauded the fact that Missouri was the birthplace of Frank Buckles, who, until his death in 2011 was the war's last surviving U.S. veteran.

Across the Atlantic on Thursday, France staged its own centennial observance of the American entrance. the French Defense Minister urged everyone to remember "the courage of America and the millions of soldiers that came to fight on our side."

Thursday, April 13, 2017

Kansas City's selection as the host to Thursday's hourslong event came about because of its 217-foot-tall Liberty Memorial tower and the huge World War I museum below it.

The monument was built after a burst of post-war patriotism that over the period of ten days in 1919 raised $2.5 million, the equivalent of more than $30 million today.

Allied commanders from Belgium, Great Britain, Italy, France and the United States gathered in 1921 to dedicate the site which is located across the street from the Kansas City train station through which more than half of U.S. troops passed through before being shipped off overseas to Europe.

Several short films were shown, one narrated by Kevin Costner and another one by Gary Sinise were displayed on 25-foot tall screens. Ragtime music (popular back in 1917) was played plus there was military pomp and recitations as well as speeches by politicians.

Many who spoke talked about American sacrifice. By the end of the war in 1918, more than 9 million lives were lost in combat and Americans accounted for 116,000 of them in the short time we were involved.

Retired Army Col. Ribert Dalesandro, chairman of the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission told the crowd: "America entered the war to bring liberty, democracy and peace to the world after almost three years of unprecedented hardship, strife and horror. We still live in the long shadow of World War I in every aspect of our lives."

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

From the April 7, 2017, Chicago Tribune "Thousands at U.S. monument pause for WWI observance" by Jim Suhr, AP.

A flyover by eight planes trailing colored smoke and thousands of attendees paused to remember that day 100 years ago, April 6, 1917, when the United States entered the war that had been going on since 1914. That was a good day for the Allies like Britain and France and a bad one for Germany.

The commemoration, titles "In Sacrifice For Liberty and Peace" was essentially a multimedia time warp back 100 years ago.

A dew thousand ticket holders and dozens of foreign ambassadors (evidently no President Trump) were in attendance as a color guard dressed as WWI "Doughboys" presented the colors and and short films were shown.

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

In 1942, FDR was not happy with the name Second World War and asked the public for new names. The War department received 15,000 submissions ranging from "The War for Civilization" to "The War Against Enslavement." FDR wanted "The Survival War."

None of these names stayed. "World War II" and "Second World War" finally were the acceptable names. As for the first one, it became "World War I" and the "First World War."

Usually, the British calls them the First World War and Second World War. The United States goes with World War I and World War II.

Monday, April 10, 2017

World War II began 21 years after World War I. It is hard to pinpoint when the terms World War I and World War II or First World War and Second World War came into large use.

Of course, during World War I, no one knew there would be a second World War. As such, there was no need for a numerical designation. U.S. newspapers originally referred to the 1914-1918 war as "The European War." They adopted the "World War" name after the United States entered it in 1917.

Thursday, April 6, 2017

On April 2, 1917, he had gone before a Joint session of Congress and asked for a declaration of war on Germany. An overwhelming majority of Congress voted to accept it, with just 50 opposing it.

It read "that a state of war exists between the Imperial German Government and the Government and People of the United States."

War had been declared on Germany, but none of the other Central Powers. War was declared on the Austro-Hungarian Empire on December 7, 1917, but never declared against Bulgaria or the Ottoman Empire.

Of interest, Jeannette Rankin of Montana, a lifelong pacifist, was one of the 50 voting against the declaration in 1917 and she was the only member of Congress voting against the declaration of war against Japan on December 8, 1941.

Today Marks the 100th Anniversary of That Declaration. The Centennial.

From the March 29, 2017, MidWeek (DeKalb County, Illinois) "Looking Back."

1917, 100 Years Ago.

"Local wireless telegraph enthusiasts, of which there are a number, will be greatly interested to learn of the coming order of the war department. It is announced that in case war is declared between Germany and the United States, the first order issued by the government will be for the dismantling of every amateur wireless station.

"This is to be done for the lessening of likelihood of activities of spies in this country."

During the course of the next two years I will be writing down some of the events happening during the United States' participation in World War I. I will be getting the information from the April issue of the VFW magazine.

APRIL 1, 1917

Navy Armed Guard Chief Boatswain's Mate John Eopolucci perishes in a lifeboat after the steamer Aztec is torpedoed off France.

This was five days before the U.S. Declaration of War against Germany, which took place on April 6.

From the March 29, 2017, MidWeek (DeKalb County, Illinois) "Looking Back."

1967, 50 Years Ago.

"Four elms to go and the DeKalb city's street department will have culminated a project which began five years ago. The project, to cut down all the old elms in the city, was a slow and tiresome assignment.

"Working at times when duties did not call them elsewhere, the street department cut down between 5,000 and 6,000 elm trees in the city over the five-year period. One elm remains to be cut at the corner of Seventh and State and three in the 200 block of West Lincoln."

Bill Hands won 18 games in 1970, but the Cubs didn't contend. In 1972, they traded him to the Minnesota Twins, but their owner, Calvin Griffith cut his pay by $4,500. hands asked for a trade and he was.

He retired in 1975 and lived in Orient, New York, where he owned a gas station that became a favorite hangout for locals

A Cub fan to the end, he often wore a Cubs hat at the gas station. It was so great that he finally got to see the Cubs win it all in 2016.

The 1969 Cubs team have lost Ernie Banks, Ron Santo and Jim Hickman in recent years.

Hall of Fame pitcher Fergie Jenkins said: "At the end of the '66 season, when we'd just lost 103 ballgames, Leo took Bill Hands, Joe Niekro, Rich Nye, Kenny Holtzman and myself, and he told us, 'You five young guys will battle for four spots in the rotation starting in '67.'"

Hands started and relieved in 1967, when the Cubs won 87 games and started their turnaround. He went 16-10 in 1968, establishing himself and setting the stage for 1969.

The next year he was part of one of the best rotations in baseball with Jenkins (21-15, 3.21 ERA), Holtzman (17-13, 3.59) and Hands at 20-14, 2.49 ERA.

Fergie Jenkins continued: "He was the third pitcher. I opened, Kenny was second and he was third. He was a hell of a pitcher. ...Froggy was a good teammate."

In 1968, the Cubs were in first place in mid-August before blowing a 9 1/2 game lead to eventual champion New York Mets.

Monday, April 3, 2017

This trade was the Cubs' first one after Leo Durocher came over to manage the club.

Don Landrum was with the Cubs from 1962-1965 and compiles a career batting average of .234 and 12 home runs. He played center field for the Cubs in 1965 and batted .226, with 6 home runs and 34 rbis. Lindy McDaniel had a career record of 114-119 and 3.45 ERA.

Leo Durocher said: "We're looking to rebuild and the only way to do that is with young. Hundley is only 23 and Hands 25."

Hands and Hundley became part of a core of young Cubs who turned the franchise from a laughingstock into a contender in just a few seasons. They broke a million hearts in 1969, but remain one of the Cubs' mist-loved teams.

From the March 10, 2017, Chicago Tribune "Hands gave '60s Cubs reliable arm in rotation" by Paul Sullivan.

BILL HANDS (1940-March 9, 2017)

"Froggy" won 20 games as the No. 3 starter in '69"

"Former pitcher Bill Hands, a 20-game winner for the 1969 Chicago Cubs, died Thursday in an Orlando, Florida, hospital after a brief illness. He was 76. "He won 111 games over 11 seasons in the majors, including a 92-86 record and 3.18 ERA with the Cubs. Overall, he had a 3.35 ERA and struck out 1,128.

Signed by the Giants as an amateur free agent out of New Jersey in 1959 he had the nickname "Froggy" and came to the Cubs in one of the best deals they ever made. (Until recently, the club has been notorious for their bad trades.) He came over after the 1965 season with catcher Randy Hundley for outfielder Don Landrum and reliever Lindy McDaniel.

These are all names I am very familiar with as I am a big fan of the Cubs (when they are not playing my White Sox).

"Nancy Hart was first cousin of Daniel Boone, and was possessed with the same indomitable pioneer spirit. She was also of the same family as Gen. Daniel Morgan of New Jersey, being an own cousin of his. Gen. Morgan, with his militia, served through the Revolution, all through the history of the war was read:

"Washington sent for Gen. Morgan and his militia."

"Gen. Morgan received the thanks of the Nation and Congress awarded him a gold medal for his brilliant victory at Cowpens, in which the British were completely routed and pursued for twenty miles.

"No doubt had Nancy Morgan Hart been a man, she would have been in the front of battle. leading her men to victory or death, but being a woman she did 'her bit' in a different way."

"Her last years were spent in the home of her son, John Hart, on this very farm, in a stone's throw of where she so peacefully slept for over one hundred years.

"Her descendants in the Gen. Samuel Hopkins Chapter D.A.R. have the unique distinction of being descended, lineally, from a woman patriot; all others in our chapter are descended from men who performed some patriotic duty during the Revolution."

A great granddaughter, Mrs. Mary Dixon, 94, is still alive in Henderson.

A list was then read of 13 women who are or have been members of the D.A.R. chapter, including two members still living in Henderson and five others living in Kentucky. Others lived in Louisiana, Nevada, Nebraska, Chicago, Texas and California.